Snow!

We woke up Tuesday morning to at least 3 inches of snow on the ground. Since it has been unseasonably cold around here, it actually stuck, which is unusual for this area. It continued to snow until around noon, so we ended up with more than 4.5 inches by the time it stopped. Tyler couldn't wait to go outside and play in it, but we had to hold him off until the temperature rose just a little.

Watching the snow fall

Tyler finally got to go outside with Tim just before lunch time. Nathan was just waking up from his morning nap, so I only went outside to snap a few photos. It was still too cold to take Nathan out, so he only got to see the snow through the window.

Trudging through the snow

Tim immediately started making snowballs to toss around, which Tyler really enjoyed.

Ready to catch a snowballTrying to dodge

At one point, Tim thought it would be fun to drop-kick snowballs at the fence. This little activity resulted in a slip and a fall flat on his back. He lay there in the snow for a few seconds as Tyler said over and over, "Daddy, get up! Get up, Daddy!" His back has been pretty sore ever since and he's been to the chiropractor twice. It's either a strained muscle or a bruised rib, which is good because it's nothing serious. Unfortunately, he just has to wait until the soreness goes away. I feel badly for him because he can't workout and not being able to train really affects him. He can barely bend down to pick up the boys right now, so we're all hoping it subsides soon.

I just wanted to share one more photo of the boys from this week. Nathan just will not leave his big brother alone, much to Tyler's dismay. I hear lots of, "Naysen's touching me! He's eating my hair! No, Naysen!" All of which does little to slow Nathan down. He just wants to be next to his brother. I took this photo just after Nathan had been trying to kiss Tyler's head--at least that's what I think he was trying to do. I'm fairly certain he wasn't actually trying to eat Tyler's hair as Tyler believed.

Big Week

It's only Wednesday and it has already been a big week for little Nathan. On Monday he fed himself his first finger foods (Gerber Puffs, sweet potato flavor). Then on Tuesday he cut his 5th tooth and started pulling up. I walked into his room at 3:30 am on Tuesday to find him standing at his crib rail, at which point I decided that we should move his crib mattress to the lowest setting--not right then, of course, just sometime when normal people are awake.

Here's a video of Nathan feeding himself. I know, I know...it's not super exciting stuff, but it's something I'd like to remember and this is my blog. And did I mention it also happens to be my birthday? So yeah, I get to do whatever I want here. =) Tyler, who was finishing his own dinner at the time, talks throughout the entire video. He seriously talks non-stop at home. Get him in front of other people, and it's a completely different story.

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It's getting more difficult to keep track of Nathan now that he's on the move all the time. This morning while the boys were playing in the room, Nathan kept crawling over Tyler while he was lying on the floor playing with his tractor. At one point when Nathan was grabbing Tyler's hair, Tyler said, "Nay-sen, I tying to be nice." I think that was his way of saying, "Nathan, I'm trying to be nice, so why are you trying to hurt me?" I've explained many times that Nathan's pokes, grabs and scratches are not meant to hurt Tyler, and thankfully, Tyler doesn't usually try to retaliate when Nathan hurts him.

Tyler likes to pretend that this mechanical pencil is a screwdriver. I'm not sure why, but the boys like to play under the kitchen table.

Tyler really wanted to help Nana decorate my birthday cake this year and he was adamant that I was to have a birthday cake and not cupcakes. So, Tyler went home with Nana and Papa after church on Sunday so he could help decorate the cake that Nana had baked the night before. It was a delicious red velvet cake, and as these photos show, Tyler did an excellent job with the sprinkles. He was so proud of himself and he couldn't wait to show me the cake.

Gabie gives Nathan a hug

Funny Hats

This bucket somehow lends itself to being the perfect hat for a baby. Tim used to stick it on Tyler's head when he was about the same age as Nathan (8 months) and as Tyler got older, he would voluntarily put it on himself. Tyler has been known to wear it even now, 2 whole years later. Of course, we couldn't let Nathan escape babyhood without a few photos of his own moments with the bucket hat.

Here are a couple pictures of Tyler when he was 9 months old in the bucket hat. I think there's a resemblance between the two boys, even though they each have their own look.

Here are a few more hat pics from earlier this week. Tyler, who is still obsessed with birthday parties, decided that his cones make perfect "party hats" for himself and his brother. Nathan was a good sport, letting Tyler put a party hat on him.

Nathan is starting to jabber more and more. This week he started saying "na-na-na-na-na" and "da-da-da-da". He's kind of had a cranky week due to teething. His fourth tooth popped through on Tuesday and his fifth is just below the surface. This video was taken right before we ate dinner the other night. As you'll see, he was getting a little impatient while I recorded his jabbering--and rightly so, I guess. He just wanted to hurry up and eat already!

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And a few more pics from the past week or so. I love this face!

Dance Lessons

Mom and Dad came over for dinner one night last weekend and just as they were about to leave, we turned on some music so Tyler could show off his dance moves. Well, Papa Rudy was capable of some fancy footwork in his day (and apparently still is at 63 years of age), so he taught Tyler a thing or two that night. The result: hysterical entertainment for the rest of us.

You will hear Nana cackling in the background (don't worry, she eventually caught her breath), and if the camera seems a little shaky, it's because I was desperately trying to hold it still, even though I was bent over with laughter. I seriously had tears streaming down my face because it was hilarious watching Tyler as he attempted to do everything Papa did. Tyler's interpretation of the bow at the very end is one of my favorite parts. He looks like he's having severe stomach cramps.

Disclaimer: No Papas or Tylers were harmed in the making of the following presentation.

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Giggles & Tail Feathers

This video has two parts.

Part I: There's a game on Tyler's Smart Cycle that solicits giggles every time he plays it. There's a frog on the screen and when Tyler presses the button on the handlebar, the frog's tongue catches little flies with letters and shapes on them. He's supposed to avoid the ones with shapes because he's supposed to be trying to spell words. But, when the frog eats a shape, it makes a funny face that Tyler thinks is just hilarious, so he purposefully makes the frog catch the shapes.

Part II: Tyler and his dad often get playing so hard together that they start sweating, so Tim will take his shirt off and tuck it into the back of his shorts. Well, of course Tyler wants to do everything like his dad, so when I walked into the boys' room the other night, I found Tyler sporting his "tail feathers", as his dad calls them.

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